On a Federation starship, you pretty much know what to expect from your surroundings. But what happens when you move into a Cardassian-built ore processing facility? One of the fascinating aspects of Deep Space Nine was the idea that our characters were living in borrowed space. They could never be sure what they might find in the bowels of the Station—or the computer. They found themselves in a dire situation in "Civil Defense" when a dormant computer file triggered a counter-insurgency program installed by the Cardassians during the Occupation. Suddenly their lives were at risk—and the clock was ticking.

In this episode of The Ready Room we're joined by Michael Fisher and John Mills to discuss "Civil Defense," which was born of the desire to slip a straight action story into the middle of DS9's drama. We discuss the mysteries of the Station, the production challenges of the episode, character developments for Dukat and Garak, and debate whether there was any way out of an unsatisfying ending.

In our news segment we check in on two interviews with new Star Trek film writer J.D. Payne, CommBadge's second run at funding, Star Trek Online's arrival on Mac, and an STO Mirror Universe event. Plus, we learn about the starship accessibility requirements of Targ Starfleet officers.